Can-opener.



No. 653,070. Patented July 3, mm

W. F. DALE.

CAN OPENER.

(Application flied Mar. 22, 1889.)

(No Model.)

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4 acm WILLIS F. DALE, OF ORTONVILLE, MINNESOTA.

CAN-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,070, dated July 3, 1900.

Application filed March 22, 1899. S ri 710,1 (No mod To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS F. DALE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residingat Ortonville, in the county of Big Stone and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Can-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in canopeners, the object of the same being to pro.- vide an implement of this character which shall be simple in construction in order that it may be manufactured and sold at small cost and also be effective in operation and durable in use. To this end the invention consists in forming the can-opener of a single piece of sheet metal, which is bent in a particular manner to present a pair of cuttingjaws, a roundhandle, and a depending fulcrum, as hereinafter described, and specifically set forth in the appended claim.

The present invention is an improvement upon the implement shown and described in my pending application bearing Serial No. 692,326, and in which the handle is formed separate.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which like letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views, Figure l-is a perspective view of a can-opener constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View of the blank from which the implement is formed. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the cuttingblades.

at the inner ends of the straight edges 1) of the members a is cut inward a short distance on a line with the straight edges, leaving a projection or member a forthe purpose hereinafter specified. The other end of the blank is cut away at each corner, forming a reduced portion (i and the body portion of the blank has centrally an aperture 0 located adjoining the end portion a In forming my improved can-opener from the blank hereinbefore described the said blank is bent upon itself over an iron bar or core, bringing the edges of the body portion together to form the handle A of the implement, and in so bending the body of the blank the members Ct a thereof are brought side by side, after which they are bent inward adjoining the handle, bringing them nearer together and parallel to form the cutting-blades of the implement, the upper or cutting edges of which are curved, while the lower edges are straight. The projecting portion or memher a of the blank at the inner ends of the straight edges of the cutting-blades is now bent abruptly downward to form a fulcrum for the implement. In forming the outer end of the handle to complete the implement the said end is slightly flattened, so that the edges of the blank are not brought together, leaving a V-shaped opening d opposite the aperture 0, and in finishing this end the reduced portion a of the blank is bent over against the ends of the body portion and the flaps bent upon the sides of the handle. After forming the blank into theimplement,as hereinbefore described, the metal may be finished by enamel or nickelplated.

It will be noted that an implement formed entirely from a blank or single plate of metal can be cheaply manufactured and sold at small cost. The blank is preferably cut from sheetsteel, and the portions or members which form the cutting-blades can be tempered or hardened, the upper curved edges being beveled and sharpened to form cutting edges. hereinbefore described is also very strong and durable, and the handle being hollow presents a can-opener that is comparatively light in weight and yet possesses the advantages of having the blades formed integral with the handle, as is the case with can-openers cast in one piece.

By forming the end of the handle to leave the V-shaped opening opposite the perforation or aperture it not only provides for hanging the implement upon a nail orhook, but

An implement formed in the manner also presents a broad end at the point where pressure is applied in forcing the cutting edges through the top of the can.

The operation of my improved can-opener will be readily understood, for in cutting through the top of a can one of the blades acts as a guide by traveling around the edge of the top of the can while the other is cutting.

I am aware that it has been proposed to form a can-opener in one piece by casting and that such can-openers have been provided with a pair of parallel blades, a handle, and fulcrum at the inner end of the blades; but by forming the can-opener from sheet metal the implement is made much lighter, stronger, and more durable and the cutting-blades can be tempered or hardened to give a better cutting edge, the device possessing the advantage of being entirely of metal and in one piece.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg A can-opener formed from a single sheet of metal or blank, presenting a straight body portion, members a a at one end of said body portion having straight inner edges and curved outer edges joining in a point at the outer ends of said members, a tongue a formed between said members at the inner ends thereof, the other end of the blank having a reduced portion a the said blank being bent upon itself longitudinally and the tongue bent downward, as herein shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS F. DALE.

Witnesses:

JONATHAN SPARROW, E. A. FRENCH. 

